Crews assess storm damage, which washed out North Main Street in Soquel, California.
Dozens of evacuation orders are in place as a powerful atmospheric river, known as a "Pineapple Express," surged into an already-sodden California, sparking warnings of widespread flash flooding in the western US state.
Up to nine inches of rain were expected in some parts of the state on Friday, with several feet of heavy, wet snow falling over mountains where a huge snowpack has built up over months of near-record storms.
Forecasters said the Pineapple Express — so called because it is bringing warm, sub-tropical moisture from Hawaii — could cause some of that monster snowpack to melt, overwhelming river systems.
"Rainfall totals of 4-9 inches, atop areas with saturated soil and deep snowpack will cause widespread and severe flooding impacts," the National Weather Service [NWS] warned.
"Higher elevations in northern California and the Sierras will receive a heavy, wet snow leading to difficult travel."
US President Joe Biden on Friday approved an emergency declaration for the state, clearing the way for federal assistance to help local agencies.
The move came after a request from California Governor Gavin Newsom, who said he was mobilising resources to help anyone in need.
"California is deploying every tool we have to protect communities from the relentless and deadly storms battering our state," Newsom said.
The bulk of evacuation orders affect northern California, with seven rivers expected to burst their banks.
Many of them flooded at the start of the year as a daisy chain of atmospheric rivers dumped trillions of gallons of rain on the state.
More than 20 people died as back-to-back storms washed out communities, bringing down trees and causing landslides — and emergency services now are worried the fresh storms could cause more problems.
READ MORE: Southern California sees rare snowfall as winter storm intensifies
A winter storm will produce copious amounts of heavy snow to the high terrain of northern and central CA and significant rainfall and flood threats across much of CA, as well as into far western Nevada. Follow your local NWS forecast office for details. https://t.co/GWrG0hTRHN https://t.co/JhYwWCxqHc
— National Weather Service (@NWS) March 10, 2023
'Stay at home'
San Mateo County Sheriff said two people whose car was crushed by a falling tree in Redwood City were expected to be ok.
"Stay home tonight if you can, folks," the sheriff's office tweeted, alongside a photo of the mangled car. "If you must drive in the storm, deputies are here for you, day or night."
The Sierra Nevada mountain range has been buried in unusually heavy snow for weeks.
As more moved in on Friday, a number of ski resorts shut their gates, citing weather worries.
In South Lake Tahoe, the weight of the accumulated snow brought down the roof of a gas station, sparking a fire, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
In the San Bernardino Mountains, in the south of the state, most communities have dug out after days or even weeks of being cut off.
READ MORE: Biden declares disaster to speed up aid as California gets more rain, snow
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.